The present invention relates to a partition for separating parts of a display shelf or the like into distinct compartments. The invention relates particularly to a partition with adjustable locking means for securing the partition to various types of display shelves, and in various orientations on the display shelves.
A known type of shelf partition is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,184. The partition is designed for shelves which have a plurality of parallel rows of perforations, each row being spaced from an adjacent row by a predetermined amount, and each row having perforations which are spaced apart by a predetermined amount. The perforations are engaged by locking pins on the partition to secure the partition to the shelf.
The partition of U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,184 is an integral member, preferably formed of plastic (e.g., polyurethane). It includes a base that rests on a shelf, a wall portion that extends upward from the base, and one or more locking pins that are integral with the base. The locking pins resiliently engage individual perforations in the shelf, and secure the partition to the shelf.
As an alternative to making the locking pins integral with the base, some partitions have annular holes, about the size of the locking pin, formed integrally with the partition base, and the locking pins are designed to extend through the holes and into the perforations in the shelf. Each hole allows a locking pin to move through it to engage a perforation in a shelf, but does not allow lateral shifting of a locking pin therein. The holes are normally spaced apart by a distance corresponding to the difference between perforations on a particular shelf.
Most typical display shelves include rows of perforations to which a partition may be secured. A difference that does exist between many display shelves is the fact that the spacing between the rows of perforations, and between perforations in a particular row, may be different for different types of display shelves. Thus, partitions with integral locking pins (U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,184), and partitions with locking pins that can only move through individual holes, but cannot shift laterally, need to be individually made to fit individual shelves. Specifically, the locking pins for a partition associated with a particular shelf need to be spaced apart by an amount that corresponds to the spacing between perforations in the particular shelf. A partition that is suitable for one shelf would not generally be suitable for a shelf with differently spaced perforations. Thus, a partition for a particular shelf has had to be made to suit the particular geometrical configuraiton of of perforations in the shelf. Moreover, the partition would normally only be useful along a single row of perforations. It would normally not be angularly adjustable relative to the rows of perforations.